One of the recent additions is the Peak, which is actually the Victoria Peak that has been renamed and is located at about 1811 feet higher than the sea level. Te fact that the place is right in the middle of the city and that it gives you a view of the islands that dot the place makes the place more aesthetic. These facts have also made the place to be dubbed by some as the most expensive residential place to buy on the Earth. In fact, the going rate is said to be about $5,417 for every square foot.

There are various reasons for the huge price tag and the most important reason is that the demand in this particular place is very high. There are not many places available in this area for people to stay and so when the space is available, people are ready to pay through their nose for such luxurious properties.

The real estate market is booming once again after the recession ended and there are only about 50 properties that are available at The Peak. The very few number of properties that are available has contributed to the sudden rise in the price. The beauty and the history of Hong Kong also makes the rich and famous from all over the world to want to own a land in this place and that could be another reason for the high price for the property at The Peak. Though the best real estate properties are very expensive, there are many properties that have very few people interested in them.

The 118 story, 484 meter (1588 feet) International Commerce Centre, scheduled to be complete in 2010, will be the tallest building in Hong Kong and the world’s third tallest tower behind the Burj Dubai and Shanghai Financial Center.  It is a mixed-use tower with two five-star hotels, commercial office space, an observation deck, retail shops, and parking space. Designed by the architectural firm of Kohn Pederson Fox Associates, the building will feature an ultra modern design and streamlined architecture.  The International Commerce Centre is being developed by Sun Hung Kai Properties and is located in West Kowloon in Union Square on top of the Kowloon Station on Hong Kong’s waterfront.

A 5-star Ritz Carlton hotel will be on the top 15 floors of the tower.  The lobby of the hotel will sit at 425 meters (1394 feet) and become the world’s highest hotel, overtaking the Grand Hyatt Hotel that is located in the Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai.  The hotel will feature an observation deck with 360-degree views of Hong Kong’s world-renown skyline.  There will be three upscale restaurants, conference and meeting space, an indoor swimming pool, as well as a spa and fitness center.

The other hotel is the W Hong Kong and will consist of 393 suites and rooms, 10,000 square feet of conference and meeting space, two restaurants, a rooftop pool and Bliss spa.

The retail portion of the International Commerce Centre is called Elements and will feature over one million square feet of fine dining, shopping, cultural and entertainment spaces.  There will be themed zones, inspired by the 5 Chinese elements of fire, water, earth, wood, and include a rooftop garden and a boulevard of two story shops

The International Commerce Centre will also offer first class office space on the 10th through the 22nd floors.  Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley will each occupy ten floors and Deutsche Bank twelve floors.  .  The demand for high quality office space has been growing, with more and more local and multinational corporations moving into Hong Kong.  The office space at International Commerce Centre will help feel this need

Harborview Place will provide luxurious residential living for expatriates and business executives who need long-term Hong Kong living accommodations.  Amenities include twenty-four hour concierge service, lounge, gym, and rooftop pool.  There will also be a Tenants Club will offer a full range of amenities, including conference and business facilities and gym.

The International Commerce Center is located in a prime spot on the Victoria Harbor and is in the center of Hong Kong’s cultural and business hub.  Sitting atop the Airport Expression Station, and located near the Western Harbor Crossing, the International Commerce Centre has nearby access to the West and East Rails at West Kowloon Station, and is only a twenty-minute drive to the airport.

The International Commerce Centre is scheduled to be complete in 2010.  In 2007 the Elements shopping mall opened and as of October 2008 the building has reached the 107th story at 436 meters (1430 feet).

Entertainment Building, a 186-meter (612 foot) tall, 33-story commercial and retail skyscraper, is located in the heart of Central District, Hong Kong Island.  The building was completed and opened for business in 1993.  Designed by P&T Architects & Engineers Limited, the building features striking neo-gothic architecture that brought Hong Kong’s business district an innovative and bold landmark along its impressive skyline.  The building’s exterior features colored, polished granite from Brazil with gray tinted glass windows and an impressive spire at the top of the tower.  The bold and unique design has a distinctive look of quality and elegance and towers over the older, shorter nearby office buildings.

Entertainment Building is located in the heart of Hong Kong’s commercial and financial district at a strategic junction of Wyndham Street, Queen’s Road Central and D’Aguilar Street that provides convenient access to the area’s business district, as well as shopping and entertainment for the building’s visitors and tenants.  The 33-story skyscraper provides breathtaking panoramic 360-degree views of the city and beautiful Victor Harbor.  Lan Kwai Fong, City Hall, Star Ferry and The Landmark are just blocks away.  There are several convenient public transportation options including Airport Express, ferry, and the MTR Railway.

Entertainment Building features spectacular window views and an oval-shaped foyer.  The Shopping Arcade provides a wide array of luxury retail stores, cafes, restaurants, and beauty salons.  Some of the retailers in the shopping arcade include Pacific Coffee, Armani Exchange, David Kingsboro Jewellery, Oasis Spa, Laurel, Pearly Gates and Callaway, Yamada Miyura, Hang Lung Hakuyosha Dry Cleaning, Scala Jewellery, King Palace and Xenter Jut.  The Entertainment Building, with its expansive offerings of luxury boutiques, dining and entertainment venues, offers convenient and memorable shopping and entertainment opportunities for Hong Kong’s citizens and visitors.  The second floor features a covered footbridge that connects customers and tenants to nearby buildings and parts of the Central district.

The office lobby is located on the first floor at D’Aguilar Street.  The Entertainment Building contains 26 floors of commercial office space.  The office space provides such as amenities as audio visual presentation equipment, business and accountancy services, CAT 5 cabling, catering and refreshment facilities, video conferencing, photocopying and faxing, internet access and E1and T1 broadband, a kitchen facility, leased lines, a lounge area, staffed reception service, telephone answering services, voicemail, on-site management and staffing, and virtual office services.  Hysan Development Holdings purchased Entertainment Building in November 1996 from Chinese Estates Holdings.  They paid $3.64 billion for the building, which averages approximately $17,300 per square foot.

Hong Kong is world-renowned for having one of the finest, and many say the finest, skyline in the entire world.  Towering, innovative skyscrapers grace the skyline with mountainous terrain and the beautiful Victoria Harbor forming a backdrop over one of the world’s leading financial and banking centers.  Entertainment Building, with its striking and innovative design, not only contributes aesthetic interest to Hong Kong’s skyline, but is also is an important commercial and retail venue in the heart of Hong Kong’s Central District.

Hong Kong, a special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China, is world renown for having one of the world’s greatest skylines. A majority of Hong Kong’s terrain is hilly or mountainous, and with 7 million people living in a 426 square mile region, it is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. To compensate for the lack of space, many of the world’s tallest skyscrapers have been constructed in Hong Kong, one of the leading financial and banking centers in the world. There are total 106 towers over 180 meters (or, 591 feet) tall.

Two International Finance Center is Hong Kong’s tallest building. Constructed in 2003, it is 88 stored and 415 meters (1362 feet) tall. It is the world’s seventh tallest building and the third tallest building in China. The 78-stored Central Plaza is the second tallest building in the entire Hong Kong, measuring 374 meters (1227 feet) high. Within the Central Plaza is Hong Kong City church, which is the world’s tallest church located within a skyscraper. The 70-stored Bank of China Tower, designed by world-renown architect I.M. Pei, at 367 meters (1204 feet) tall is Hong Kong’s third tallest building. Bank of China Tower was the first ever skyscraper built outside of the United States which ultimately went over 1000 feet (305 meters) tall. There are a total of 6 finished buildings in Hong Kong which are over 300 meters (984 feet) tall as of the year 2008. No other city other than Hong Kong can claim that feat in the entire world.

The first skyscraper in the city Hong Kong was the Shanghai Bank Building built in 1835. The high-rise building was around 70 meters (230 feet) tall and was 13 stored. It actually lasted for over 60 years until it was demolished and later replaced with the HSBC Main Building. During the first part of the last 20th century, high-rise construction was quite limited in the Hong Kong. Starting in the 1970s, Hong Kong went on through a large-scale building construction boom which continues till this day. The construction boom was especially pronounced during the years 1980-1993, when 22 of Hong Kong’s tallest buildings were built. These included the Bank of China Tower, Central Plaza and Hopewell Centre. An even bigger construction boom began in the year 1998 and is still ongoing. Between the years 2000 and 2008, there were a total of 38 buildings with heights exceeding 200 meters (656 feet) were built. Among these buildings were super tall skyscrapers, including Two International Finance Centre, Nina Tower I and One Island East. After the closure of the Kai Tak Airport in the year 1998, which lifted height restrictions, the Kowloon area also became quite developed. Super tall skyscrapers, almost all over 200 meters (656 feet) tall, such as the Langham Place Office Tower, The Harbourside and Sorrento were constructed.

Hong Kong is the first in the world in greatest number of skyscrapers, with exact 228 towers over 150 meters or 492 feet tall, and 7,558 high-rise buildings. The skyline of Hong Kong is considered by many to be the finest in the world, with a great line up of skyscrapers set against the backdrop of Hong Kong’s mountainous terrain and Victoria Harbor. Each and every night, several skyscrapers along the Victoria Harbor put on a synchronized light show which is also known as A Symphony of Lights.

Hong Kong’s building construction continues with many new development projects in the works, including a waterfront redevelopment, new government buildings, several projects slated for West Kowloon, and the International Commerce Centre, which will be the tallest tower and set to open in 2010.

During the colonial period, the British also introduced Victorian and Edwardian architecture into Hong Kong. Examples of these architectural styles that are still in existence include the Murray House, Central Police Station and also the Legislative Council Building.

The first high rise in the Hong Kong was built between 1904 and 1905 by the Hong Kong Land Company. These were a total of five buildings that were each five to six stored tall. Hong Kong’s first skyscraper was the Hong Kong Bank in 1935. Multi-story residential buildings did not begin to appear in the city of Hong Kong until 1955 when a building ordinance removed the height limit that had been in place for the residential buildings. The demand for housing had increased due to the wave of refugees coming into to the city following by the communist takeover of China in 1949. Seven storied public housing estates with public bathroom facilities, crowded conditions and almost no kitchens were quickly built to house the homeless. At the same time, private apartment houses began to be constructed and by the 1960s it had had grown to 20 stores or more.

Beginning in the 1980s, and continuing till the present day, Hong Kong has seen a great construction boom. This boom was fueled by Hong Kong’s transformation from a manufacturing-based to service-based economy, with Hong Kong emerging as one of the leading financial and banking centers in the world. Hong Kong has more skyscrapers and high-rise buildings than anywhere in the world these days. A few of the most notable buildings, known for both their height and architectural style include the Two International Finance Centre, Nina Tower 1, One Island East and the Bank of China Tower, designed by world famous architect I.M. Pei. The building boom in Hong Kong continues, including plans for a new waterfront development, governments buildings, and the International Commerce Centre, which when it opens in 2010 will be Hong Kong’s tallest building.

Hong Kong is truly a place where the east meets the west, and is also well known for its impressive skyline and super tall skyscrapers. Most of the Hong Kong’s architecture is new, featuring Modern and Post-Modern kind of design. Much of the terrain of the Hong Kong is hilly and mountainous, and with 7 million people occupying around 426 square miles, there is a strong demand to build up new buildings. Many of the older buildings of the Hong Kong have been demolished in favor of some super tall skyscrapers to provide both housing and also commercial office space for the thriving financial and banking center of Hong Kong.

Prior to 1841, when Great Britain first colonized Hong Kong, most of the architectures were of traditional Chinese design. Hong Kong’s population was made up mostly of fishers who had to cope with the vagaries of pirates and typhoons. Hong Kong’s architecture was characterized by its’ many Tin Hau temples and fortified villages.

After Great Britain founded the Victoria City as a part of their crown colony, the population greatly increased in a short period of time. Tong Laus, or called as Chinese tenements, were constructed to meet the greater demand of housing. These three to four story buildings combined both European and Chinese traditional architectural elements and design and were built close together in the crowded city blocks. Most of the buildings had apartments on the upper stores and shops on the ground floors. The Ton Lau was one of the major forms of architecture in Hong Kong up until World War II.

Following World War II, Hong Kong quickly industrialized and become a major manufacturing center and leading exporter. During the 1980s and 1990s, the economy of Hong Kong shifted from being primarily manufacturing-based to one that was service-based, becoming one of the world’s leading financial and banking centers.

Great Britain’s lease of the New Territories was to expire in 1997, and negotiations began between the United Kingdom and the People’s Republic of China, to discuss Hong Kong’s sovereignty. In 1984 the Sino-British Joint Declaration was signed. The United Kingdom agreed to transfer Hong Kong to the People’s Republic of China in 1997, with the stipulation that Hong Kong would become a special administrative region, with its own laws and autonomy for 50 years at least following the transfer. Hong Kong also maintained its capitalist economy.

Hong Kong’s skyline has been rated as the greatest skyline in the world. Due to its lack of space, dense population, and highly capitalist economy, the region has seen the construction of a multitude of skyscrapers to accommodate the residential and commercial needs of the region. Hong Kong is home to 6,439 skyscrapers, with 38 of the world’s tallest 100 residential buildings. It is a center for modern architecture, with few older buildings remaining. International Finance Center is the tallest building in Hong Kong, measuring in at 415 meters (1360 feet) high. Some of the other prominent skyscrapers in Hong Kong include the HSBC Headquarters Building, the Central Plaza with its distinct pyramid-shaped spire, world renowned architect I.M. Pei’s Bank of Chinese Tower, and The Center which hosts a nightly multi-colored light show. There are quite a few development plans for new construction, as Hong Kong continues to be one of the leading financial centers in the world.

Hong Kong is one of the most unique places on earth. Known for its majestic skyline and being one of the leading financial centers in the world, it is a place where east meets west. Hong Kong, a former colony of the British Empire, is currently a special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China. For the most part Hong Kong is self-governing and has its own political and legal systems, as well as capitalist economy. 7 million people live on 428 square miles of land, making it a very densely populated area. Hong Kong’s major geographical areas include Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula, Lantau Island, the New Territories and 260 other islands.

The area now known as Hong Kong has been inhabited since the Paleolithic era. It became a British Colony as result of the opium wars with Great Britain beginning in 1839. Hong Kong served as a free port for the British Empire during the latter half of the nineteenth and first part of the 20th century. During World War II Japan invaded Hong Kong and defeated the British and Canadian forces there. Japan occupied Hong Kong from December 1941 until 1945. During the occupation, Hong Kong lost over half of its population due to food shortages and other results of the war. After the surrender of Japan, the United Kingdom once again controlled the colony of Hong Kong. The population began to increase once more, as many fled from the mainland of China during the Chinese Civil War and the subsequent founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.